How Eating Disorders Can Affect the Teeth

A sad truth is that eating disorders affect many millions of people across the world. Some people suffer from anorexia, in which they have an intense fear of gaining weight. Others suffer from bulimia, in which they binge on massive amounts of food, and then purge it out of their system so they do not gain weight. These eating disorders are not only bad for your overall health; they also severely impact your dental health.

In both cases, the person who is suffering for an eating disorder is not receiving the proper nutrients. This in itself does damage to the teeth. Also common, however, is puking in order to get rid of any food that was eaten. Whenever you puke, your teeth are subjected to the acid that is contained in your vomit. This acid is particularly destructive to your enamel. Your saliva has minerals in it that actually can repair this damage to the enamel, but not if your teeth are regularly exposed to the acid in vomit. Another concern is that the acid in the vomit actually softens your enamel, and if a person with an eating disorder tries brushing their teeth immediately after vomiting to cover it up, they may actually be brushing away some of their enamel.

The combination of not getting enough nutrients and exposing the teeth to high levels of acid really does a number on the teeth of people suffering from eating disorders. If you have suffered major tooth deterioration due to an eating disorder, contact our expert in root canal in San Fernando Valley to set up a consultation.